Where’s the money Sharma Solomon?

Two years ago, the One Mile Primary School at Wismar was burnt down by arsonist during the mayhem protesting Government’s decision to withdraw electricity subsidy for Lindeners. I vividly recall calls from the opportunist Mark Benschop on Benschop ‘Hate’ Radio, appealing to Guyanese in New York to help in the rebuilding by sending cash and other donations to the Region 10 Chairman, Mr. Sharma Solomon. In a telephone interview with Benschop, the Regional Chairman made it clear that One Mile Primary School will be rebuilt solely by the people of Linden. He did not want the Government to play any part in the rebuilding. As such, an estimated $17 million was raised, mostly from generous Guyanese living in the diaspora and from supporters of the Opposition at home.

Two years have gone by and that money is yet to be accounted for.
Every effort made to get Sharma Solomon to account for that money has been coming up against a brick wall.
In a report published in Guyana Times on August 24, 2014, a similar question was asked: Where’s the money? According to the Times, “In 2012, the One Mile Primary School was among more than 10 buildings that were reduced to ashes in Linden when a protest over a proposed hike in electricity tariffs spiralled out of control, resulting in the death of three persons. Under the stewardship of the Region 10 Chairman Sharma Solomon and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Vanessa Kissoon, Lindeners near and far had vowed to rebuild the school, shortly after the month-long protest came to an end in August. But of recent, contributors have been asking where is the money… When contacted by Guyana Times, Solomon said he is aware of the concerns currently being expressed by residents. He explained that a special committee headed by Councillor Maurice Butters was given the responsibility to oversee the spending of the monies collected.
Butters when contacted by this newspaper indicated that the committee is now going through its record to determine the amount collected, spent and the remainder. He assured this newspaper that when the process is completed, a detailed report will be issued.” That was two months ago.

Earlier, on December 12, 2013, Kaieteur News reported, “…a self-help committee was established to oversee the rebuilding of the One Mile Primary School and donations were made by organisations and individuals to contribute to the rebuilding. Millions of dollars were collected and some form of rebuilding was done. The self-help committee had estimated that their rebuilding effort would have cost $100M. That reconstruction started with concrete works being executed on the foundation and ground floor. Then works on the front wing of the building commenced. Works had also begun on the bottom flat and top floor.”
Mr. Editor, I travelled to Linden on that very day, December 12, 2013 and took photographs of the burnt out remains of One Mile Primary School. The photographic evidence which I shared then with Kaieteur News showed very limited work, all shoddy and incomplete, had been started on the ground level but no work was evident on the top floor as was reported.

Initially, $60 million was allocated in the 2013 Education Budget for the construction of an additional wing to the building that Solomon and the self-help committee was supposed to have built from donations received, to make allowance for additional students, so as to avoid overcrowding.
Consultations were held between the Ministry and the Regional Chairman, and it appeared evident that children were being inconvenienced and their education compromised by the ongoing delays to get the project started.
By then, engineers from the Ministry of Education declared the existing remains to be unsafe to build on, due to structural damage caused by intense heat from the fire. When Government realised that Solomon and the self-help committee were incapable of rebuilding the school in a timely manner, they refused to turn over the $60 million and instead took a decision to build a brand new modern school with the capacity to hold 1,000 children. The Regional Chairman wisely gave his approval and consent, and the rebuilding project was finally launched last February by Education Minister, the Hon. Priya Manickchand, at a cost of $170 million.

In an earlier comment, Solomon had said, “What the rebuild project will do is move towards a new arrangement. What we’re going to do with that committee is have them focus more on other needs of the school, so it will move towards the establishment of a more modern computer lab and putting in other amenities in the school that makes it more modern and upgraded.
So though the general infrastructure will be dealt with based on the Government’s budgeting for that school, the rebuild project will deal more specifically with advancement and upgrading those infrastructure.”
Editor, the new building will include 29 classrooms, capable of housing 1,000 students, sick bay, facilities for disabled, Information Communication Laboratory, administrative office and sanitary block, among others. So there is absolutely no need for additional monies to be spent by the so called “rebuild project” or anyone else to “modernise” a school that will have all the modern facilities and amenities. This explanation is just a sham to stall the demands for accountability of the estimated $17 million in cash that was received as donations, money that must be accounted for by the Region 10 Chairman.
During the sod-turning ceremony in February, I tried to interview Sharma Solomon to get some answers. When I introduced myself, he became arrogant and unwilling to speak to me, saying, “I know who you are.” I specifically asked how much money was received in donations from the diaspora in New York, and he told me none – I recorded his comment. The only information he volunteered was that most of the contributions came from local supporters and businesses in the form of materials such as concrete blocks, cement and sand. He also denied having knowledge of the amount of money collected and access to that money, and said that a committee is tasked to audit the accounts and the findings will be published shortly. When asked how soon, he said within two weeks. That was on Wednesday February 12, over eight months ago.

Region 10 Chairman, Sharma Solomon needs to come clean with the people of Linden and the entire nation, and especially those Guyanese living in New York who willingly gave part of their hard-earned money to the idea of rebuilding a school set ablaze by a certified nincompoop.
This evasive strategy by the Regional Chairman to prevent disclosure of the total amount received in donation, after two long years, appears fishy to me. The question must be asked: How could a man who solicited and received millions in cash donations that were never used and cannot be accounted for even after two long years; a public figure who appears to have violated the public’s trust, still have the cojones to remain in a leadership position in Linden? Solomon should resign in disgrace with immediate effect. He is an embarrassment to the position he holds.
Like APNU, the Government of Guyana should distance themselves from Solomon, and refuse to recognise his status in the community until he accounts for this money.
A full and complete investigation is now needed to determine exactly how much money was received by Region 10 Chairman, Sharma Solomon; APNU Parliamentarian, Vanessa Kissoon; and the “I want to be Mayor” Mark Benschop of the Benschop Foundation, if only to keep them honest and lift the veil of suspicion that hangs over them.
Interestingly, these are the same people who accuse the Government of corruption and whose common goal is to replace the current administration in office by hook or by crook. God help Guyana if that ever happens!

HARRY GILL

Extracted from the Guyana Chronicle